St. George's Church - Flushing (Queens), New York
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St. George's Parish
(Episcopal)

135-32 38th Avenue at Main Street
Flushing (Queens), N.Y. 11354
http://saintgeorgesflushing.org/

Organ Specifications:
Present building (since 1854)
► IV/37 Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Op. 355-A (1952, 1962, 1965)
► III/34 Skinner Organ Company, Op. 355 (1922)
► II/16 Henry Erben (1862); reb. & moved to chancel (1894)
• II/ Henry Erben (1862) – Gallery
Second building (1821-c.1930)
• George Jardine (1838)
• Unknown builder
First building (1746-1812)
• unknown if any


St. George's Parish was founded in 1702 as a mission of the Church of England by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Services were conducted in the old Guard House until 1746 when the first church was built. In 1760, a certain "John Aspinwall, Gentleman" donated £600 for a steeple and bell. Mr. Aspinwall later helped establish a Latin School, which became the Academy in 1803, a precursor to the Flushing school system. A charter was granted to St. George's by King George III in 1761, the first year of his reign. Notable persons associated with St. George's include Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, who was a warden of the church from 1765 to 1790, and the Rev. Samuel Seabury, rector of St. George's from 1757 to 1765, who became the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in America.

The second church was built in 1821, and included the original bell. This building was used for services until 1853, and was retained for use as a Sunday-school until about 1930 when it was replaced by the present parish house. In the churchyard are gravestones and memorials dating to the 18th and 19th centuries.

St. George's Episcopal Church - Flushing (Queens), New York (photo: Steven E. Lawson)  
The third and present church occupies the same site as the original building and was built from 1853-54. It was designed by Frank Wills and Henry Dudley, architects associated with The New York Ecclesiological Society that had an interest in the development of Gothic Architecture as a new style (Neo-Gothic) for American churches. Local craftsmen were engaged and regional materials were used. The building includes walls of randomly laid granite rubble, and fine stained glass windows. Above the entrance is a 150-foot tapered wooden tower that houses the original bell which was recast and enlarged at Troy, N.Y., using the 1760 bell's metal and bearing the inscription, "The gift of John Aspinwall, Gentleman, 1760."

In 1894, the chancel was lengthened eighteen feet, to a total of thirty feet. Designed by J. King James, the enlarged chancel featured paneling with rich moldings, oak furniture, and a pavement of marble mosaic. An organ chamber, fourteen feet square, was built on the north side, with a commodious room in the rear for the choir boys. The old vestry on the south side of the chancel became a vestibule, as a new and spacious vestry was built in the rear of it. Charles C. Haight designed the parish house that was built from 1907-08.

In 2000, the St. George's Church, Old Parish House and Graveyard were designated as landmarks by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Sadly, in 2010 the wooden spire was blown off of the tower by a tornado.
             
 

Aeolian-Skinner Organ, Op. 335-A (1952, rev.) at St. George's Episcopal Church - Flushing (Queens), N.Y. (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company
Boston, Mass. – Opus 355-A (1952, 1962); rev. 1965
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 41 stops, 37 ranks



The present organ, originally built by E.M. Skinner in 1922, was revised by Aeolian-Skinner in 1952, and again in 1962 and 1965. At some point, possibly in 1952, a fourth manual was fitted into the console shell, and the two-stop Gallery division was moved to the chancel chamber.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Bourdon [ext. PED]
17
4
   Octave
61
8
   Diapason
61
4
   Flute
61
8
   Erzahler
61
     Fourniture IV ranks
244
8
   Claribel Flute
61
8
   Tromba [enc. with CH]
61

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
     Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Geigen Diapason
73
16
   Bombarde
73
8
   Salicional
73
8
   Trumpet
73
8
   Voix Celeste
73
8
   Flugel Horn
73
8
   Gedeckt
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
8
   Spitz Flute
73
 4
   Clarion
73
4
   Prestant
73
     Tremolo  
2
   Super Octave
61
        

     

     
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Concert Flute
61
4
   Flute
61
8
   Flute Celeste [TC]
49
8
   Clarinet
61
8
   Gamba
61
     Tremolo  
8
   Dulciana
61
        

     

     
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Stentorphone
73
        
8
   Tuba
73
        

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Diapason [1-12 resultant]
—
8
   Still Gedeckt
SW
16
   Contrabass
32
4
   Super Octave [ext.]
12
16
   Bourdon
32
16
   Posaune
32
16
   Echo Bourdon
SW
16
   Bombarde 
SW
8
   Octave [ext.]
12
8
   Tromba
GT
8
   Gedeckt [ext.]
12
        
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Solo Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 (thumb)
Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Choir Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 (thumb)
Pedal Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (toe)
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Pedal     Great to Pedal Reversible
    Balanced Choir & Solo Pedal     Swell to Pedal Reversible
    Balanced Crescendo Pedal     Sforzando Reversible
               
Aeolian-Skinner Organ, Op. 335-A (1952, rev.) at St. George's Episcopal Church - Flushing (Queens), N.Y. (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
  
Aeolian-Skinner Organ, Op. 335-A (1952, rev.) at St. George's Episcopal Church - Flushing (Queens), N.Y. (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
     
Aeolian-Skinner Organ, Op. 335-A (1952, rev.) at St. George's Episcopal Church - Flushing (Queens), N.Y. (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
  
Chancel of St. George's Episcopal Church - Flushing (Queens), N.Y. (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
           
Skinner Organ Company
Boston, Mass. – Opus 355 (1922)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 41 stops, 34 ranks



The present church was revised and enlarged in the 1920s at which time the E.M. Skinner Organ Company of Boston installed their Opus 355 (1922) of three manuals and pedals. The Skinner contract, dated February 18, 1922, states that the organ would cost $19,660 and would be completed and installed on or about August 1, 1922. Skinner installed the organ in the existing chamber on the north side of the chancel.

Specifications for this organ were also recorded by Lynnwood Farnam (1885-1930), noted concert organist of the early 20th century, who kept "organ notebooks" with details of various organs he played or visited. Farnam indicated that there was also a Swell to Pedal Reversible, which may have been added at a later time. The Farnam notebooks are now in the library of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Bourdon [ext. PED]
17
8
   Erzahler
61
8
   First Diapason
61
4
   Octave
61
8
   Second Diapason
61
4
   Flute
61
8
   Claribel Flute
61
8
   Tromba [enc. with CH]
61

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
     Dolce Cornet III ranks
183
8
   Diapason
73
16
   Contra Fagotta
73
8
   Salicional
73
8
   Cornopean
73
8
   Voix Celeste
73
8
   Flugel Horn
73
8
   Gedeckt
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
8
   Spitz Flute
73
 4
   Clarion
61
4
   Flute
61
     Tremolo  
2
   Piccolo
61
        

     

     
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Concert Flute
61
4
   Flute
61
8
   Flute Celeste [TC]
49
8
   Clarinet
61
8
   Gamba
61
     Tremolo  
8
   Dulciana
61
        
               
Gallery Organ (floating) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Stentorphone
61
        
8
   Tuba
61
        

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Diapason [1-12 resultant]
—
8
   Still Gedeckt
SW
16
   Diapason
56
4
   Super Octave [Diap.]
—
16
   Bourdon
44
16
   Trombone
44
16
   Echo Bourdon
SW
16
   Contra Fagotto
SW
8
   Octave [Diap.]
—
8
   Tromba
—
8
   Gedeckt [Bdn.]
—
        
               
Couplers
    Swell to Pedall 8', 4'   Gallery to Great 8'
    Great to Pedal 8'   Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'
    Choir to Pedal 8', 4'   Gallery to Choir 8'
    Gallery to Pedal 8'   Great to Great 16', 4'
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Swell to Swell 16', 4'
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'   Choir to Choir 16', 4'
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Great & Solo Organs Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 (thumb)
Choir Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 (thumb)
Pedal Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (toe)
               
Pedal Movements
    Swell Expression Pedal     Sforzando Pedal
    Choir & Gallery Expression Pedal     Great to Pedal Reversible
    Crescendo Pedal      
           
  Drawing of 1894 Chancel in St. George's Parish - Flushing, N.Y.
  Drawing of 1894 Chancel
Henry Erben
New York City (1862); reb. (1894)
Electro- or tubular-pneumatic action?
2 manuals, 16 stops, 16 ranks



When the present chancel was built in 1894, the existing 1862 Henry Erben organ "was removed from the gallery, rebuilt, and placed on the left [sic] side of the chancel. The drawing at the right shows that the organ was installed in a chamber on the right or north side of the chancel and had façades in the chancel and aisle.

Concert organist Lynnwood Farnam recorded the following specification of an "Old Nameless Organ" at St. George's Church. The inclusion of On & Off pistons for the Swell to Great coupler suggests that the organ may have been rebuilt by a New York City firm, possibly J.H. & C.S. Odell, George Jardine & Son, Reuben Midmer & Sons, or Thomas H. Wood.
               
Great Organ (Manual I)
8
   Open Diapason  
4
   Octave  
8
   Gamba  
4
   Harmonic Flute  
8
   Dulciana  
8
   Trumpet  
8
   Melodia          
               
Swell Organ (Manual I) (enclosed)
16
   Bourdon  
4
   Gemshorn  
8
   Violin Diapason  
2
   Piccolo  
8
   Stop Diapason  
8
   Oboe  
8
   Dolce       Tremulant  
               
Pedal Organ
16
   Open Diapason          
16
   Bourdon          
               
Couplers
    Swell to Pedal [stop]     Swell to Great [on & off pistons]
    Great to Pedal [stop]        
             
Pedal Movements
    2 Composition Pedals to Swell   Swell Pedal
    2 Composition Pedals to Great    
             
Organ in the gallery of present church:

Henry Erben
New York City
Mechanical action (1862)


The third organ in St. George's Church was built in 1862 by Henry Erben of New York City. This organ was rebuilt and moved to the new chancel in 1894. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
             
Organ in the second church:

George Jardine
New York City (ca. 1838)
Mechanical action


When it was determined that the first organ needed to be replaced, "nearly $700 were raised, and Mr. Jardine was called upon to build an organ at that price. A new and fine-toned instrument, in due time, took the place of its predecessor. Such is a brief history of the second organ of St. George's Church. It served well its purpose until superseded by a new one in 1862." (J. Carpenter Smith, History of Saint George's Parish, 1897.)

Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
             
Organ in the second church:

Unknown Builder
Mechanical action


In J. Carpenter Smith's History of Saint George's Parish (Flushing Evening Journal, 1897) we read that by 1838 the first organ in St. George's Parish "was antiquated, well worn by long use, and its capacity for sound was very feeble. A new and more powerful instrument was required."

Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
             
Sources:
     Aeolian-Skinner Archives web site: http://aeolianskinner.organsociety.org/Specs/Op00355.html, http://aeolianskinner.organsociety.org/Specs/Op00355a.html
     Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.
     Driscoll, James, for the Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary, and Victorian Garden. Flushing 1880-1935. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2005.
     Farnam, Lynnwood. "Organ Notebook," pp. 1514-15 (specification of Skinner organ, Op. 355 (1922), and of "old nameless organ"). John de Lancie Library, The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; Sally Branca, Archivist. Courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
     "Flushing's Historic Church. Its New Chancel Will Be Consecrated To-morrow," Brooklyn Eagle (Dec. 8, 1894).
     Kinzey, Allen, and Sand Lawn, comps. E.M. Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner Opus List. New Rev. Ed. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1997.
     Nelson, George. Organs of the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Smith, J. Carpenter. History of Saint George's Parish, Flushing, Long Island. Flushing: Press of the Flushing Evening Journal, 1897.
     Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications of Skinner organ, Op. 355 (1922).

Illustrations:
     Driscoll, James. Flushing 1880-1935. Undated postcard of exterior.
     Lawson, Steven E. Interior; Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co. organ, Op. 355-A (1952, 1962); rev. 1965.
     Smith, J. Carpenter. History of Saint George's Parish, Flushing, Long Island.